REAL ID Requirements

Beginning May 7, 2025, all individuals over the age of 18 who are authorized to drive onto Arlington National Cemetery should be prepared to present a REAL ID at the security checkpoint.

Published on: Tuesday, April 29, 2025 read more ...

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JENIFER LEIGH VAN VLECK

WWII Bomber Crewman Missing for 71 Years Buried at Arlington National Cemetery

U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Francis “Buddy” Callahan never returned from his bombing mission over Brunswick, Germany. On April 8, 1944, enemy fighter aircraft shot down his B-24 bomber, nicknamed “Little Joe,” before it could reach its target. Fellow bomber crews reported seeing no one from the 10-man crew exit the stricken aircraft as it fell out of the sky.  

Army National Guard Vietnam Veteran Laid to Rest at Arlington National Cemetery

On Feb. 21, 2025, almost 200 people gathered in Arlington National Cemetery’s Section 47 to bid a final farewell to Capt. James Lee Bohanan, a U.S. Army Vietnam War veteran, husband and father.  

“That Standard Will Never Fall”: Commander of the Guard Bids Farewell to Unknowns

At exactly 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, amidst pouring rain, U.S. Army Capt. Henry Newstrom walked in measured steps onto the plaza to conduct the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Although Newstrom had performed this ritual more than 180 times during his tenure as commander of the guard, this time was different.

“Whatever It Takes”: Persian Gulf War Veterans Honor Their Fallen

Veterans of the U.S. Army VII Corps who fought in the 1991 Persian Gulf War came to Arlington National Cemetery on Feb. 14, 2025, to honor their fallen.

“He Gave His Life:” USS California Sailor Killed at Pearl Harbor Laid to Rest at Arlington National Cemetery

By Kevin M. Hymel on 2/20/2025

Sharon Gunselman cried when she learned that the remains of her uncle, U.S. Navy Seaman 1st Class Aaron Lloyd McMurtrey, who died at Pearl Harbor 83 years ago, had finally been identified. She wished that her mother, aunt and grandmother could have been there for the news. “They mourned him their entire lives,” Gunselman said. “They hoped that maybe, somehow, he had gotten amnesia or something, and he would one day walk in the door, but obviously that did not happen.” On Feb. 13, 2025, a group of 15 family and friends gathered at Arlington National Cemetery  to say a final goodbye.

Coast Guard Members and Descendants Remember the 80th Anniversary of the USS Serpens Tragedy

By Kevin M. Hymel on 2/12/2025

The worst loss of life in United States Coast Guard history occurred on the night of Jan. 29, 1945, when the cargo ship USS Serpens exploded and sank off the coast of Guadalcanal, in the Pacific Theater of World War II. More than 250 men lost their lives. On Jan. 29, 2025—the 80th anniversary of the tragedy—descendants of crew members, along with Coast Guard members, gathered to attend an annual remembrance ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery’s USS Serpens Memorial.

NASA Crews Remembered, Honored

By Kevin M. Hymel on 2/4/2025

On Jan. 23, 2024, NASA officials, along with colleagues and family members, came to Arlington National Cemetery for the annual NASA Day of Remembrance, honoring those astronauts who bravely served and sacrificed. Traditionally held on the fourth Thursday in January, the NASA Day of Remembrance commemorates the crews of Apollo 1 and Space Shuttles Challenger and Columbia—all of whom are honored with monuments at ANC. The timing of the annual remembrance reflects the anniversaries of the three disasters, occurred between Jan. 27 and Feb. 1.

Veterans and Congress Members Remember the Battle of the Bulge

By Kevin M. Hymel on 1/29/2025

On Jan. 23, 2025, a large group from the Battle of the Bulge Association—including five members of Congress and four World War II veterans—gathered next to the Battle of the Bulge Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery for an annual ceremony to honor Americans who served and sacrificed in that pivotal World War II battle.

Completing the Mission: Volunteers Remove Wreaths Despite the Cold

By Kevin M. Hymel on 1/15/2025

“We’re here to complete the mission we started in December,” said Chris MacArthur of Alexandria, Virginia, with his arms full of holiday wreaths. MacArthur was one of 2,000 volunteers who braved icy roads and temperatures below 20 degrees to retrieve wreaths from headstones in the snow-covered sections of Arlington National Cemetery on Jan. 11, 2025. When asked if he had second thoughts about coming to the cemetery when he saw the morning snow, he said, “Not for one second.”

“It Brings Me Peace": Thousands Participate in Wreaths Across America Day at ANC

By Kevin M. Hymel on 12/18/2024

On Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, thousands of people braved cold temperatures to honor the country’s fallen by laying holiday wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) — one of more than 4,900 locations nationwide to participate in Wreaths Across America Day